Can you ever trust again?
by Bluefigs
Summary: When Skye is kidnapped, the team must turn to the only man who may be able to bring her home...even if he is a traitor. Can they trust him?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Despite everything the only thing he could think about was her and the look of hatred on her face the last time he had seen her, the day when he lost her forever.

It had been 6 months since Garrett had been killed and although he believed, for a long time, that Garrett was the most important person in his life, this was no longer true. She had changed everything, she had changed him. As he sat in his dark cell, a prisoner, he never thought about his mentor and father figure- he thought about her.

It was early morning when his cell door swung open and Ward couldn't tell if there was to be another day of interrogation or torture- frankly he had lost track. He didn't fear either. Instead, he displayed emotion for the first time in months when Coulson walked through the door. He stood immediately, his form slightly less imposing than it used to be despite the daily push-ups and sit-ups that kept him sane.

"I don't want to be here Ward." Coulson said flatly, responding to the inquisitive look on Ward's face. Ward's heart tightened when he quickly understood that if Coulson was here it was because something really bad had happened.

"She's been taken Ward. We suspect by your organization." The mention of Hydra made Ward's blood boil. He had never been loyal to them – only to their leader, something he tried to rationalize, to himself, was different.

"How long?" were the only words to escape Ward's mouth as images raced through his mind.

"It's been 16 days."

Ward's eyes shot up to look directly into Coulson's. 16 days! 16 days! Terror was visible all over his face – 16 days was a lifetime.

"Why are you here Coulson?"

"Because we know that despite everything Ward you would do anything for her, anything to protect her. Even from those you were truly loyal to." Coulson could see that his last words punched Ward right where he wanted them to.

"We've tried to find her, but they've taken her underground and if she's still alive we need to get her out now."

The thought that Skye might not be alive grieved Ward. A world without Skye wouldn't be worth living in- even if he wasn't truly living in it anymore.

"I don't have any more intel, Sir. Everything I knew you've already beaten out of me, more than once."

"We're not looking for intel Ward – we're going to trust that you love her."

Confusion washed over Ward's face.

"You do love her, right Ward?" Coulson paused waiting for a response from a stunned Ward.

"I do, Sir."

"Do you love her more than your loyalty to Hydra?"

"I would die for her, Sir."

The two men looked at each other for a moment. Coulson hated that this is what this situation had come down to- trusting a traitor. He wished they had been able to find her themselves but they needed Ward now, needed his expertise.

"We're going to trust you Ward, let you out to find her, bring her back to us. You'll have all the resources you need access to."

Ward looked puzzled.

"How do you know that I'll come back?" Ward asked almost in a whisper.

"Because despite everything Ward, I've come to understand something over the last couple of months. No matter what we do to you, you're doing worst to yourself in your mind. You believe that you deserve to be here. That's what will bring you back."

Coulson turned and walked out of the cell, the door locking behind him. Seconds later Ward wondered if he had imagined the whole scene.

May waited for Coulson in the hallway.

"I don't like this Coulson!"

"Noted." Coulson replied walking past her. "He'll find her May, I don't doubt that for a second."

"Even if he does – will he ever bring her back?"

"I'd bet my life on it." He continued walking to the car waiting outside. May knew better than to argue with him once he had made his mind up. Somehow he always knew the right course of action – even if it was the most bizarre and dangerous one.

20 minutes later Ward's cell door opened again. Still believing he had imagined Coulson's presence earlier he figured that this was his daily interrogation session. Instead clothes were thrown at him along with steel-toe boots.

"Hurry up" the guard yelled and closed the door again.

As he dressed in the clothes that he had worn for most of his adult life he found a renewed purpose- he had to find her, the thought that she was hurt, or being hurt, fuelled him.

He exited the building and the sunlight blinded him. He hadn't seen the sun since the day of his arrest. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the natural light and he noticed a SHIELD truck waiting a few meters away. He opened the door and peered inside. May was sitting in the driver's seat, panic overcame him.

"Get in Ward!" She exclaimed in a tone that made him understand that she did not agree with him being there but that she had instructions. They drove silently back to bus. He could feel May's rage towards him seething through every one of her pores along the route.

Arriving at the bus, Ward exited the vehicle to a waiting Coulson who handed him a file.

"This is everything we know. Every where we've searched, everyone we've interrogated." Coulson's voice was matter of fact. "In your interrogations Ward you always said that you were just a soldier following orders- well these are your orders…bring her back alive- quickly." He handed Ward the keys to the vehicle beside them and informed him that at the nearby airstrip there was a small plane, fully stocked, waiting for him.

"You are not welcome on the bus- FitzSimmons don't know you've been tasked with this mission and we'd like to keep it that way for now."

He didn't wait for Ward to respond before he turned his back and walked back into the plane.


	2. Chapter 2- Intel

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**Chapter 2 - Intel**

Sitting inside the small plane, he tried to calm his nerves as he stitched up a gapping wound in his forearm from the day's events. Once done, he began to re-read the file Coulson had handed him. They had certainly covered a lot of ground which worried him- where had they taken her? Who had taken her? He knew that Hydra probably had her but he couldn't rule out anyone else- that would be a fatal mistake. He had been searching for 4 days. It had been 4 long days of trial and error as fight after fight he would find an empty room, a deserted base, a weapon being tested under high secrecy… but no Skye.

He later began once again, to call some contacts and tried to gather more intel to be able to find this needle in a haystack. He had to figure out his next move. The intel was fussy and didn't make much sense. He knew that there was a sinister motive behind all this but he couldn't see the big picture, yet.

"So there's a lot of movement…"

"They arrived a few days ago. Heavy security. Not normal for the region" replied Ward's contact.

"Could be anything!" Ward replied, frustrated by the lack of detail. He had wasted enough time following imprecise intel.

"I have a contact on the inside Ward, they said there's a woman. She's guarded and they move her a lot. He's only seen her once but he knows she's important. The line cut off before he could tell me who he was working for- he's kind of a hired gun- could be working for anyone frankly."

Ward held his breath before responding, overcome that maybe this was the lead he had been waiting for. "Thanks Yan- I'll owe you one."

"I'll collect one day" Yan replied and hung up.

Ward had a pretty good idea who had her now, although he didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle he could start to see the image pretty clearly.

Ward started up the plane, inputted the coordinates and headed off to what he hoped would be to finally find her and hopefully put an end to an old enemy.

She tried to focus. Tried to see through the darkness of the small room where she was being kept. They wanted information and so far she had managed to call to mind her training and focus on her mental state while they beat and tortured her body.

She was cold, damp and bleeding. She knew that her body would eventually succumb to this- her body would begin to shut down, she had no control.

She tried to figure out who was detaining her but none of it made sense. The questions that were being asked didn't follow a particular order or topic. It was like someone was fishing with a shotgun hoping to hit something, anything!

The door opened and the guard threw in a bottle of water as he bent down and took another blood sample. She was too weak to protest this time. After the guard left, she wondered if she even had enough strength to get to the bottle and to open it. She crawled to retrieve it, a triumph under the circumstances, and after struggling for a few moments the cap loosened and she took a sip of the warm water. She could feel it run down her dry throat and coat her empty stomach.

She knew she wouldn't survive much more of this. She closed her eyes hoping that sleep would help her body conserve what little energy she had left.


	3. Chapter 3- Exit

**Chapter 3**

He sat on the hill overlooking the compound, observing guard patterns, entrance and exit points. He was confident that he had finally found the right place. He had no back-up, this was all on him, he was used to being the whole solution but this time the pressure was immense. He made his way slowly down the hill. He knew time was his enemy but he had to try to do this without being detected- that was his only play.

Ward entered the building confident that this was where she was being held. He tried to keep focused on the mission but his mind kept drifting to his need to kill the man who had done this- his sources had come through with the necessary information and, if they were right, Ward was going to kill the bastard.

He watched the guards as they did their rounds from the dark corner he was hiding in. Despite everything he had been through in the last few months his body still moved with stealth and speed. He had manoeuvred through the building with ease taking out the necessary guards along his way.

He was sure that Skye was behind that door. There were too many guards for them not to be guarding something important. He analyzed the situation, as he had done many, many times before. Slowly he made his way towards the door; he tried to blend in with the wall. Finally he knew the moment was right and he opened the door with the magnetic key he had swiped off the last, now deceased, guard. He closed the door quietly behind him.

He found himself in a small room and for a moment it appeared empty and he feared once again that he had been mislead until he noticed a small body in the corner, motionless. He momentarily panicked until he noticed her finger twitching, tapping on the bare ground. She wasn't far from death but she was alive. He picked her up and held her close to him as her head lay gently on his chest near his shoulder. He never thought they would be this close to each other ever again but he knew her being unconscious made it possible.

Not wasting any time he opened the door just enough to be able to observe the guards on the outside. They were standing, smoking, talking, not paying attention and Ward knew this was the only opportunity he would get. He exited the room cautiously knowing full well that his ability to fight was compromised. It wasn't easy navigating through the maze of doors and guards as he made his way back to the door he had entered the compound by. Luckily he was still able to shoot which made Skye twitch every time. He knew that they hadn't noticed Skye was missing yet, or even that he was there, as there were no alarms and no commotion, he had managed to get in and out without too much trouble.

He made it back up the hill, which wasn't an easy task with her body in his arms. He finally reached the truck and he placed her gently on the backseat and quickly left the compound trying not to rush as he didn't want to draw attention to them, but he wanted to get her as far away from this place as possible, as quickly as possible.

…

They arrived back at the safe house without incident. It had almost been too easy getting her out, but he didn't dwell on that thought too long as his main concern currently was ensuring that she survived. Her body was bruised and battered, dried blood covered most of her face. She continued to tremble no matter how many blankets he covered her with. He lay beside her stroking her hair and tried to warm her with his body heat. He felt he was invading her personal space as he did so, knowing full well her feelings towards him, but this was the only way.

It had been 6 painfully long hours. He hadn't moved from beside her wishing her back to health, hoping that she would open her eyes. Every time she made the slightest movement, he prayed that that she would regain consciousness. He knew he would have to move quickly and explain things to her as for her not to panic at the sight of him.

Abruptly the door opened and the man he had always wanted to hurt badly walked threw the door. He was right about who had taken her. Ward knew it had been too easy and now he knew why…he had allowed him to take her.

"We knew SHIELD would let you go, to find her, Ward." He said with a sly smile answering the question all over Ward's face.

"It was an easier way to get you out than to break you out…that would have been more, well, explosive!" Ward had to control himself to not stand and rip his throat out. He had to fight the reflex to jump to his feet, instead choosing to stay beside Skye in a continued effort to protect her.

"You're a sick bastard Quinn." Ward finally managed to mutter through his clenched teeth.

"However, I get results." Quinn responded still not able to wipe to smirk off his face.

"She'll stay with us Ward…consider her your welcome home present. We know how "attached" you are to her…" Ward didn't care that the guards grabbed him as he quickly moved and pinned Quinn against the wall roughly. Guns pointed at his head Ward still didn't let go.

"Why?"

"Because we need you Ward. You're the muscle that has some brains attached to it. You know things that we need to know."

"Why did you hurt her…"

"She's a cocky little thing, she doesn't listen and she has a real problem answering questions! Just in case they didn't let you out we needed to know where you were for your "explosive" exit. Always have a plan "B" Ward! Raina enjoyed having a new testing subject too. Made her happy. You're wrinkling my suit…"

Ward dropped him and walked over to Skye once again.

"No one hurts her!" Ward screamed and at that very moment Skye opened her eyes. Stunned at first they quickly opened in terror as she saw Ward standing there with Quinn.

Ward knew that any chance at redemption was now a distant memory; her eyes clearly labelled him a traitor once again.


	4. Chapter 4- Trapped

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Chapter 4- Trapped

"Let's get back shall we…" Quinn said and walked out of the room grabbing Ward's arm to follow him. Ward quickly removed his arm from Quinn's grip and turned back towards Skye.

"They'll get her back to the compound…there is a nice little room waiting for her" Quinn said emotionlessly as he walked toward the vehicle waiting for them. Ward looked back and rage flourished as the guard picked Skye up carelessly, like she was a rag doll dropped by a small child. Quinn opened the car door and motioned for Ward to sit. Skye was dropped in the seat next to him and she quickly curled up trying to put as much distance between herself and Ward as possible.

During the trip back to the compound Ward's mind raced with possibilities- he was running the various scenarios, trying to figure out how the hell he would get them out of this situation. He could get himself out but how could he get out with Skye in her condition? He desperately tried to get her to look at him, without any success. Probably for the best as Quinn and the guards were watching them attentively. It killed him that this was all done to get him, to come to them. When the moment presented itself he knew he would make Quinn pay.

They arrived at the compound and the guard grabbed Skye as roughly as he had before- Ward reacted but was held back by Quinn. "We've got this Ward" and he motioned for the guard to continue. Ward attempted to count the amount of armed guards who were stationed around the compound as he entered the building, it was information that would come in handy eventually.

"She's not going back to that room Quinn!" Ward said in a tone that indicated he wasn't messing around when the guard started down the staircase which clearly led to the lower levels.

"You want her in your room Romeo?" Quinn stated with a smile, knowing exactly what he was doing to Ward. The two men had never liked each other.

"I want her somewhere comfortable. If anything…"

"Let's put her upstairs, in Don Juan's room shall we." Quinn motioned to the guard.

Skye had a panicked look on her face as Ward's eyes met hers.. Ward watched and all he wanted to do was rip the smile off Quinn's face. Quinn finally motioned for Ward to follow him and Skye looked away from them- Ward knew exactly what was going threw her mind.

"_Maybe I'll just take what I want Skye…_" those were some of the last words that he had spoken to her months ago and now she was his captive- being brought to his room. She hadn't known who had kidnapped her but now it made sense. Although she preferred the lush bed to the cold ground she didn't want to owe him anything- she didn't want him anywhere near her.

The door opened and he walked threw the door, accompanied by an armed guard. She pretended to be asleep until he sat beside her in the bed. Her body was too sore and every movement was painful but she would get the hell out of there. She tried to move quickly but he reacted immediately and gently subdued her. He knew her injuries were awful and he didn't want to hurt her any more.

"Please Skye, I'm not going to hurt you. I brought you towels and a change of clothes. There's a bath in the other room and I think you should soak your injuries."

"I'm injured because of you Ward!" Her words impacted him as he knew they were true.

"It's not what you think Skye."

"Well it appears to be exactly what I think…"

"Just take care of yourself Skye, eat something, and we'll talk later."

"Not likely." Skye responded.

Ward stood and quickly exited the room; he knew there was no point. She didn't trust him and she was right, appearances certainly left the impression that he was responsible for her state.

Calming her breathing she finally stood, her legs shaking. She hated that he was right. She needed to take care of herself to be able to get out of this situation. She walked into the massive bathroom and saw the large plush towels and fresh clothes on the marble counter. Looking out the large window she knew instantly where she was. She had been shot in the basement. This could be a magical place if it the estate wasn't filled with such evil.

She drew her bath and began to wipe the dried blood off her face with a facecloth. Her face was swollen and bruised underneath all the blood. She resisted the urge to cry at the sight of herself. He had said he would never let anything happen to her and yet months later look at her. She slid into the tub and every inch of her body burned in the hot water. She began to relax and she could feel the hot water beginning to work its magic on her battered body.

She pulled herself out of the bath and wrapped her body in the large towel. She slipped into the fresh clothes and walked back into the bedroom. He had left her fruits and some bread on the table and although she thought for a moment it could have been tampered with, hunger prevailed and she took a bite from a large green apple. She sat in one of the chairs by the window and began to plan her exit strategy, which began with taking out Ward.

Downstairs Ward returned to the room where Quinn was sitting reading a newspaper.

"Well Ward, how is your little hacker?" Ward ignored the question knowing that Quinn couldn't care less- it was just a way to get to him.

"What the hell do you want from me Quinn?"

"You were the second in command and such a good little soldier to Garrett- I don't take orders from anyone but you follow them blindly- I was more of a behind the scenes kind of guy in this case" Ward didn't respond.

"Garrett kept things close to the vest, including the magical miracle drug that cured him... Raina had parts of it put together, and she's continued her work- Skye helped with that, but you know things Ward. Things that I want to know to help with the sale of our army, Garrett's army."

"What makes you think that I will ever help you- or that I have any of the information that you want."

"Because I have the one thing that I think you'll do anything for!" Quinn responded dryly before continuing to read his paper. Ward couldn't respond, denying it could mean putting Skye's life in danger. She was now here to keep him in line.

"You paid attention to what Garrett was doing- you know more than you've certainly let on to SHIELD- prove yourself worthy and maybe one day you'll have that happy ending with your little weakness upstairs."

Ward punched the wall beside Quinn putting a hole through the wall, glaring at him he slowly stood up and walked out of the room followed again by a guard. He knew a happy ending would never be possible.

She must have drifted off to sleep wrapped up in a blanket because woke to a cool breeze from the window which she quickly remembered she hadn't opened. She instantly sat up straight and looked around the room trying to prepare herself for anything.

Ward was sitting in the chair opposite hers, his eyes were closed and his breathing was deep. She had never seen him sleep. The panic she felt began to subside. She watched his chest rise and fall as his breath escaped his barely parted lips. She stood and walked over towards him. Maybe this was her opportunity- the wide open window would provide her exit from this house of horrors and she would figure the rest out later. She wondered if she should kill him first, but not wanting to waste time if she could escape she chose to leave him as he was. She quietly moved towards the window and as she placed her foot on the rail just outside the frame Ward's voice startled her.

"There are guards everywhere…trust me I've checked."

"Excuse me if I don't put much trust in what you say."

"Sit back down Skye." He closed his eyes again not too concerned that she would escape.

"What makes you ever think I will ever do what you ask?" Adrenaline was running through her veins. She felt like she was poking a sleeping bear, challenging him.

"I don't." he said calmly.

Skye didn't know what to say after that and simply sat back down, alert, waiting for his next move.

They sat quietly for a few minutes until he got up, removed his shirt and laid on the floor pulling a pillow and blanket from the bed. Ward knew there was no point in fighting with her, or trying to explain the situation they were in. She wouldn't believe anything he said and he knew they were being watched.

"You sleep on the bed." He said before closing his eyes once again.

What the hell was going on -Skye thought to herself- none of this made sense. Ward wasn't the cocky Hydra double-agent he was when she last saw him. He wasn't threatening or imposing.

She eventually made her way to the bed and lay on the opposite side of where Ward slept on the floor. Although she tried to stay alert and awake she eventually gave in to heavy eyelids and drifted off the sleep thinking about the Ward she used to know, wondering if he had come back to her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He awoke startled by something. The room was dark and he couldn't see her but he felt that she was there. Where was she? All his senses were on high alert as he quietly tried to asses his surroundings as he sat up. Hyper awake he suddenly saw him sitting in the chair she had previously occupied.

"It's nice isn't it Ward- being this close to her. Bet you never thought you'd ever be this close again." He could sense the smile Quinn had stretched across his face.

"Why are you here Quinn?" Ward's tone was short.

"You need to work with us Ward- I wouldn't want anything to happen to her." In seconds Ward was by his side, his fingers wrapped around Quinn's neck.

"If anything happens to her…"

"Ward,_ if _you're a good little soldier nothing will." He replied rising from the chair slowly removing Ward's clenched hand.

"If you "rescue" her and bring her back to Coulson do you honestly think that it will change anything between you. I saw the look in her eyes when we asked her questions about you, hate and disgust. She has deep _deep_ hateful feelings towards you. Here, she's yours and you aren't being sent back to a dark hole. I think what you should be saying is _Thank you Quinn"_ Quinn sounded pleased with himself.

Ward knew some of what Quinn said was the truth. He knew Skye enough to know that this wouldn't change the sins of his past. Her sense of morality would feel indebted to him but nothing more.

Quinn sensed the weakening of Ward's resolve. "Turn her Ward and the life that you wanted with her… well let's just say if you "try" to bring her back… that's never going to happen."

She moved in the bed, still asleep as Quinn finished his sentence and left the room.

Watching her, Ward knew he had never wanted anything more than her.

"I'm not helping you Ward!" She screamed as Ward stood over her. Quinn wanted an encrypted drive cracked and Ward had been unsuccessfully trying to convince her to help for the last 15 minutes.

"Skye, don't toy with me. You know that you really don't have a choice." His words were harsher than he meant them to be.

She closed her eyes. Last night she believed she had seen a little shimmer of the Ward she once knew, the Ward that would protect her and who was "good". Now, the Ward who had betrayed her, who had threatened her was before her and the wave of emotion hurt as much as it had the first time.

Leaning in too close he whispered in her ear "it's a test Skye, please pass it."

She hated herself for entertaining the thoughts she had last night. Her mind had wondered to possibilities as she had remembered the feel of his lips on hers; the memory was such a powerful one. Now as he stood over her asking her to do this the hate and disgust washed over her but she couldn't deny the ache she felt in her chest.

He dropped the drive beside her once again and left the room.

She felt a single tear roll down her cheek allowing her tough exterior to finally crack. Wiping it away she knew she had to figure a way out of this, an idea quickly became a plan but she wondered if she would have the heart to pull it off.

She cracked the encryption 20 minutes later. Sitting back she knew this sign of allegiance was worth the cost. Perusing the data she knew it had probably been more of a test as Ward had suggested than something that was actually necessary to some world domination plot.

She heard footsteps outside her door and didn't flinch as he walked into the room. _Stay strong_ she kept repeating to herself. Looking out the window, watching the wind blow in the beautiful fields that surrounded this place she didn't react when he thanked her, took the equipment and left the room. She had felt the hesitation in his footsteps as he turned to leave, knowing that he had wanted to say something else but she was happy that he hadn't. She didn't want to feel anything for him, more than she had too. Leaning back she thought to herself that her plan would work.

Quinn looked like the cat that had caught the mouse as Ward entered with the decrypted drive. Taking it from Ward's hand and quickly passing it off to one of his minions Ward turned to leave not trusting himself with the restraint he was imposing on himself to not break Quinn into a thousand pieces. Quinn was talking but he didn't care.

Sitting outside with the late afternoon sun beaming on him he allowed his mind to drift to a time when she didn't know him as a traitor. It had been brief and full of promise. He had thought so many times of just abdicating his mission for her, when she had kissed him the first time his mind had instantly raced to the choices he knew he would have to make in the hours and days that followed that moment. He remembered the moment he stood with his gun pointed at a detained Garrett in the airplane, a crossroads between his loyalty to Garrett and his love and lust for her. He had considered shooting Garrett to be with her. Garrett had seen the hesitation and had been brutal as a result.

With the sun absorbing into his skin he dreamt of life, if it had been different. Waking up to her, holding her, and making love to her. He had imagined making love to her more times than he could remember. He imagined his hands on her body being with her in the most intimate way possible. His chest contracted knowing that Quinn's words were true; here he could be with her. He could at least be close to her. Once again he was at a crossroad, he knew which road he should take and he knew which one he would take.

She was in the shower when he entered the large room. His thoughts immediately went to joining her; he imagined a time that might have been possible. He closed his eyes trying to concentrate and was grateful when he heard the water stop a few seconds later. She exited in nothing more than a towel and stopped when she saw him standing in the middle of the room looking at her. The air between them was thick with so much emotion. He wanted so badly to hold her in his arms and tell her his plan but he knew to make it all appear as it should he couldn't say a word, he would just have to accept, for now, the image of himself reflected in her eyes.

Without saying a word he turned his back and moved to the seating area allowing her the privacy she needed to get to her clothes. He finally allowed himself to breathe when the large bathroom door shut loudly behind her.

Behind the door she closed her eyes. There was something in his eyes that had never really been there before. He looked defeated and broken but she also remembered a time when he showed weakness and took everything from her. Shaking her head she began to dress and she soon realized that if this was the game he was going to play- she could play it too. She knew he wanted her- that was her exploitable advantage.


End file.
